Top New Tracks
5) Annika Kilkenny – “Make Yourself At Home” (2026)
20-year-old Annika Kilkenny hails from Kilkenny, Ireland and is as much of a product of her indie contemporaries as she is inspired by 70s pop acts. The singer-songwriter worked her way from the piano to the acoustic guitar, where she has found her calling. Her earliest inspirations were indie artists like Mac DeMarco and Lizzy McAlpine, but she has also given ABBA their flowers for their memory-evoking chord progressions.
This week’s highlighted track, “flip phone” is a short and sweet folk tune accompanied by an acoustic guitar’s bouncy strumming pattern.
4) Cléa Vincent – “Speakeasy” (2026)
Making waves in the French pop scene, singer-songwriter Cléa Vincent has cemented herself within the genre through her albums and EPs. Hailing from Paris, her passion for music began with her instruction in classical piano as a child. Her professional education continued at the famed Arpej, a jazz school in Paris, where she developed her ability to improvise and experiment with song structures. Her music prominently features the keyboard and falls under the categories delicate and danceable.
This week’s selected track, “Bienvenue au Speakeasy” is a gentle piano-centric instrumental with a lo-fi beat that sounds like it is rinsing off your brain.
3) Softcult – “When A Flower Doesn’t Dream” (2026)
Softcult is a grunge duo that hails from Canada and is composed of twin siblings Phoenix and Mercedes Arn-Horn. Their dreamy blend of shoegaze and Riot Grrl rock is complete with shimmering textures and echoing verses. Softcult calls out injustices through their lyricism, invoking empowerment against misogyny and gender violence. They have listed inspirations classic to the shoegaze scene, including My Bloody Valentine and Deftones.
This week’s chosen track, “Pill To Swallow” is grungy and harmonious, filled with pointed lyrics and broad synth textures and reverb.
2) Arms Around the World – “arms around the world” (2026)
In a spin on traditional origin stories, the artist behind Arms Around the World’s debut album is none other than famed founder of Garagiste, Jon Rimmerman. Garagiste is an online wine retailer, the first of its kind to streamline the distribution process between boutique wineries and large-scale buyers. Since sparking this global phenomenon, Rimmerman has had the time to develop his first album, a self-titled collection of indie rock tracks that are as ebullient as they are complex.
This week’s highlighted track, “denial” is melancholic and steeped in indie rock sensibilities and chord progressions.
1) Sword II – “Electric Hour” (2025)
Sword II is composed of three multi-instrumentalists and is based in Atlanta, Georgia. The post-punk group includes Certain Zuko, Mari González, and Travis Arnold. Originally dubbed “Evil Sword”, the trio has released two full albums in 2025 (“Electric Hour”) and 2023 (“Spirit World Tour”), as well as one EP in 2020. Their sound comes from a wide range of genres and eras, pulling from the Atlanta DIY scene as well as broader alternative rock artists. Though the group is still new, they have already opened for artists like Feeble Little Horse and look to perform larger concerts in the coming years.
This week’s selected track, “Sentry” is both hard and soft, grungy metallic guitar chords entwined with airy vocals and baroque harmonies.
Top Tracks of the Week
5) Big Wild – “Wild Child” (2025)
New Englander, Jackson Stell (or Big Wild as he is widely known) hails from Massachusetts and has been using his multi-instrumental skills to weave a collection of energetic sounds. After touring with Odesza in 2015, his remixes and features began climbing the charts. His newest release, the Wild Child album, integrates elements of alternative and indie, dance, and electronic with his trademark curiosity.
This week’s track, “Too Loud” features the electronic duo Phantogram in a bright bass-driven pop soundscape.
4) Funkadelic – “Funkadelic (Remastered)” (2025)
New Jersey group Funkadelic was one of the most well-known funk pioneers in music history, with a career spanning from the late-60s to the early-80s. Their style of acid rock mixed with psychedelic funk and their expansive list of musicians, Funkadelic set the stage for soul and funk acts to follow in the decades after. Originally formed in 1964 by George Clinton as a backing group for his band The Parliaments, the crew relocated to Detroit and grew after signing to Westbound. Their eponymous first album was released in 1970, followed by “Free Your Mind… and Your Ass Will Follow” in the same year and the hit release “Maggot Brain” in 1971. The crew added Bootsy Collins from James Brown’s backing band in 1972, releasing 12 more albums in the years to come with a constantly evolving lineup of musicians and musical experimentation.
This week’s highlighted track, “Qualify & Satisfy” starts with a few bluesy refrains then climbs into an extended downtempo instrumental sendoff.
3) The Last Dinner Party – “From the Pyre” (2025)
The Last Dinner Party is an art rock band from London, England that originally formed in 2018, though they only released their debut single “Nothing Matters” in 2023. Later that year, they performed at Glastonbury and supported Hozier on his tour. In 2024 they won the BRITs Rising Star Award. The group draws inspiration from Queen and St. Vincent and comparisons to Sparks and Fleetwood Mac.
This week’s selected track, “The Scythe” begins with isolated vocals and gentle synth accompaniment, drawing parallels to artists like Weyes Blood, then opens into a song both catchy and danceable.
2) Hannah Frances – “Nested in Tangles” (2025)
Hannah Frances is a vocalist and multi-instrumentalist hailing from Vermont, her second studio album “Nested in Tangles” was released in October earlier this year. Her poetic style and guitar fingerpicking create a fusion of jazz and folk, expressing her deepest creative musings with lilting melodies. She began her engagement with music at a young age, having a mother who was a professional pianist. Frances started writing her own work at the age of 19, having dropped out of art school, she was living in New York and finding inspiration from folk greats like Joni Mitchell.
In 2024 she was awarded Pitchfork’s Best New Music for her country/folk release “Keeper of the Shepherd”.
This week’s chosen track, “Falling From and Further” is a rousing singer-songwriter work from Frances that touches on themes of abandonment and impermanence.
1) Venna – “MALIK” (2025)
Debuting with his first ever studio album, saxophonist Venna presents a collection of soulfully crafted R&B soundscapes. The London-based artist started experimenting with music at age 12 when he started playing the saxophone. His first big recognition was a Grammy nomination for Burna Boy’s album “African Giant” in 2020, to which Venna contributed. This was followed by the award of a Grammy for Burna Boy’s 2021 album “Twice as Tall”, which Venna also worked on. His music finds influence from artists such as Terrace Martin and Kendrick Lamar.
Our Gem of the Week is “My Way”, a laid-back track with delicately layered vocals and a relaxed electric guitar solo.